Dismantling Terrorists’ Safe Havens, By Abdulsalam Mahmud

Dismantling Terrorists’ Safe Havens, By Abdulsalam Mahmud

Boko Haram. The Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP. Everyone knows, are deadly terrorist sects in Nigeria. But their atrocities extend beyond our shores to some Sahel nations like Mali, Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroun and Burkina Faso.

Over a decade ago, Nigeria joined the league of nations where terrorism is endemic as a result of the activities of the insurgent groups. In July this year, it was ranked eight (8th) among the top 10 countries with the highest level of terrorism in the world. The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023 assessed terrorism impact in 163 countries.

With a score of 8.065, our dear country has a terrorism impact that is “very high.” The most armed terrorist groups in the world as of 2022, according to the GTI, were Islamic State (IS) and affiliates, al-Shabaab, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).

But terrorist attacks in Nigeria are not only perpetrated by insurgent groups. A secessionist militia; the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), tagged as a terrorist association by the federal government in 2017, was responsible for 40 attacks and 57 deaths in 2022, an increase from 26 attacks and 34 deaths the previous year.

As a result of lingering insurgency, Nigeria remains among the least peaceful countries as it ranks 144th in the Global Peace Index 2023. Though terror sects across the country have enclaves, camps and hideouts used by their fighters as warehouses for their ammunition and meeting venues to plot attacks, only one is most famous. It is the vast Sambisa Forest, located in Borno State.

The Sambisa, which precisely is in the southwestern part of the Chad Basin National Park – about 60km southeast of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State – has an area of 518 kilometers square. One of the indelible feats recorded by the Nigerian military, with regards to its counter-insurgency war, is taking over “Camp Zero” in the Borno forest area in 2016.

Recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari, on December 24, 2016, announced that the Boko Haram insurgency had been ‘technically defeated’ following troops’ invasion of “Camp Zero”, the final bastion of Boko Haram, in Sambisa.

In the wake of the development, the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, disclosed that the Army would make the forest an operational base. The capturing of the Sambisa, however did not signify the end of the fight against terrorism in the North East. The sects are still prowling communities across the troubled region.

And together with armed bandits, they have become more menacing, savage and vicious. The criminals still have dozens of camps in Lake Chad and other forests across the Northern part of the country. Remarkably, the military who shoulders the huge responsibility of prosecuting the war has been devising effective strategies to end banditry, insurgency and other violent criminalities in the land.

One novel strategy it has mulled is the dismantling of safe havens of criminals nationwide. Yours Truly strongly believe that this brand new, albeit portent measure will perform wonders, in the long run, if adopted and diligently implemented by the Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa-led Armed Forces.

The Defence Media Operations Director, Major Gen. Edward Buba, recently at a media briefing on military operations across the country, said: “We are going to dismantle their safe havens. We are going to bring our military might to destroy those locations/safe havens. The most important thing is that we have identified them, and we will destroy them. Knowing something and saying something will give us the heads up to do something.”

He added: “The armed forces are constantly restrategising and modifying their operations to overcome the changes in tactics of the extremists operating across the country. Accordingly, the ongoing counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations are designed to ensure that uncertainty is replaced with certainty.

“Among the central issues on the ground, in terms of setting security conditions and overcoming instability are the safe havens of some of these violent extremist groups that have existed for many years. These safe havens in effect provided a support base for insurgent activities.

“For instance, these safe havens provide the flow of funding, material, weapons, fighters, command and control that supports terrorism and insurgency confronting us. There are safe havens spread across various theatres ranging from the tumbuns in the North East to other locations such as national parks, game reserves and forests across the country.

“The military has identified several of these safe havens and operations are targeted towards ensuring that they are completely dismantled. Recently, one of the safe havens in Aku Forest in Okigwe LGA of Imo State in the SE was invaded. Troops found unspeakable and unprintable activities going on in the camp. These extremists are cannibals feasting on fellow humans and slaughtering them for other devilish acts”.

The military’s deliberate action of periodically overhauling its combat strategies reflects its desire to tackle rampaging insecurity, at the risk of being sycophantic. The safe haven of criminals identified by the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, or better still, the den of terrorists from Borno to Zamfara, Sokoto to Niger, and Anambra to Imo, all should be leveled by aggressive bombardments of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF.

Tangible action, instead of rhetoric, should be taken this time around by Gen. Musa, who is the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, and relevant authorities to ensure that the military’s intended onslaught against criminals is executed perfectly. Dense forests, and remote communities across many parts of the North East, West and Central, together with the South East region, which have since been captured by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and IPOB, can, for sure, be liberated and sanitized from the atrocities of evil forces.

But such can only happen with the collaboration of locals. Communities in the aforementioned regions that are being held to ransom by terrorists should not tolerate agents of criminals. If bandit/terrorist informants among them can be identified, they must be exposed. Afterwards, the security agencies can do their job of arresting and prosecuting such diabolic citizens.

Without actionable and comprehensive intelligence, identifying the actual enclaves and forest camps of terrorists will definitely be a herculean task. But the grave danger of relying on intelligence reports that are not credible is the possibility of recording collateral damage(s), by the time military fighter jets launch their aerial attacks.

For the planned dislodging of terrorists and criminals from their hideouts to be a resounding success, let me also add that troops need to be motivated in every way possible. I am talking about the military authorities ensuring that allowances which should accrue to ground troops and fighter pilots are promptly paid. This is necessary to safeguard against internal sabotage.

There should also be multiple sessions of brainstorming by military commanders on the way to coordinate troops and sustain their combat tempo, at every stage of this decisive operation. The planned invasion of terrorists and criminal elements’ abodes across the country is another phase of Nigeria’s insecurity war, long overdue.

For tinkering with the idea, the DHQ deserves our plaudits. If we support our military forces as they prepare for this impending operation it will be nice. If we pray for them, it will be good. But if we wish them success, it will be more better.

*Mahmud is the Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, and wrote in via: [email protected].*